


Of Monsters and Men

by festlich



Category: Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Childhood, Gen, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-03
Updated: 2013-09-03
Packaged: 2017-12-25 11:45:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/952692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/festlich/pseuds/festlich
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Whatever else, whatever struggles awaited them in adult hood, he knew he would always love Thor and Thor, him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Monsters and Men

Thor had started it.

Loki had been sitting on his own in his chambers with ‘ _The Great Yggdrasilian Beastiary by Fargus Hellop_ ’ propped on his knobby knees.

He was just skimming over an interesting paragraph involving the kelpie Backahast; it would disguise itself as an upturned boat and when the unwary went to investigate, they would be dragged into the murky depths to be eaten…

A delicious chill ran up his spine and just as he turned the page to continue, there was a loud clatter outside his door that made him pause. He was just about to go back to his book after several seconds of silence when there was a frantic banging at his door. 

“Loki!” The voice was muffled but unmistakably Thor’s. 

“Loki open up! Please!” Loki got to his feet and tentatively walked to his door, opening it a crack. 

Rudely, his elder brother thrust an arm into the room and soon had wriggled the rest of himself in as well. 

“Thor— Thor! What are you doing! Get out!” 

Thor backed himself against the ornate gilded surface until it slid shut. Then, like whatever suspended moment he had been caught in collapsed, he let out a low breath and laughed jovially. 

“I snuck into the kitchens and filched a sweetroll from Cook. Want some?” Thor reached into his vest and retrieved his prize, crumbs fell messily onto his clothes and the floor. 

“No, I don’t want your pilfered goods.” 

‘pilfered’ Thor mouthed in confusion as he took a large bite out of the pastry, Loki rolled his eyes and made as if to return to his book but before he could Thor grabbed at his elbow. 

When he spoke, it was through a mouth full of profiterole 

“Want to play a game, Loki?” 

Loki looked suspiciously at his brother “What sort…” But before he could finish his question, Thor had tackled him to the ground. 

“Thor!” Loki’s tail bone connected sharply with marble but he had no time to protest over it because Thor, roll quite forgotten, was reaching for his arms as if to pin them. 

Not likely! Loki used the floor as a brace to swing his weight up and over, rolling atop Thor and struggled to pin him just as his brother had him. 

This went on for what seemed like an hour but was really only a couple of minutes, their youthful voices raised in frustration and laughter. 

The spark of magic within Loki was still infantile and dangerous, he had learned that the difficult way when a particularly forceful weapons instructor had pushed just a little too hard. His hair had, quite on accident, caught on fire. Frigga had taken him aside then, and warned him in a low, solemn voice that magic was not something most men could understand. It was not a common gift, and as such he needed to remember to keep it inside, locked up tight until she could teach him more. 

Although he was frustrated at this pointless struggle, he was not foolish or reckless enough to use his fledgling gifts against his brother even though the odds were sorely against him. 

All of a sudden, there was a wet snap heard clearly over the ruckus and Loki’s face quite literally drained of color. He could not feel his left arm and when he tried to move it in his panic, a searing pain more intense than anything he had ever felt left black dots swimming in front of his vision. 

Evidently Thor had noticed what had happened too and sat astride his chest with a panicked look on his face, tears unwittingly welling in the corners of his eyes. 

“I— I will go get Mother!” Before Loki could affirm or protest, Thor bolted off of him and to the door. Loki could do nothing but surf on a thin strand of consciousness. His body had never felt anything quite so painful and it was having difficulty coping. 

He must have fainted for when he awoke, he was in his bed and his arm was set in a splinted cast. 

His head felt awful and his mouth was cottony and dry. A weight he had not noticed stirred at the foot of his bed and Thor’s golden head swam into focus. His eyes were red rimmed as if he had been crying and he was dressed in his sleeping clothes. 

“Brother…” Thor said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. “Brother I am so sorry…” 

Loki blinked blearily at him and smiled tiredly. “It’s… all right.” His voice was a mere whisper; he knew Thor had not meant it. Any anger he might had felt was sapped from him, the fatigue he felt so intense that his sight blurred. 

“You should be in bed.” It was not a question but Thor did not look sheepish when he answered “I did not want to sleep until I knew you were all right.” 

“You didn’t kill me brother,” he breathed out a laugh but the effort jostled his arm and he quickly ceased with a groan “Please… water?” He tilted his head towards the night table. 

Thor stood, bare feet padding quietly against the marbled floor, and sloppily poured fresh water from a pitcher into the simple wooden cup next to it. With surprising gentleness, he cradled the back of Loki's head with is his small palm and held the cup to Loki’s lips for him to drink. 

When he looked into his brother’s blue eyes he saw a worry and a fear he did not expect. 

“It’s all right Thor. You did not mean it, I know.” 

Any reply Thor might have given, Loki did not hear for as soon as Thor rested his head back on the pillow, sleep gripped him firmly but gently. 

He thought he felt the brush of cool, comforting fingers on his forehead and murmured words he may have heard, may have not.

The familiarity of the voice and the gesture made him sigh deeply with contentment, sleep settling like dust or snow upon him. 

Whatever else, whatever struggles awaited them in adult hood, he knew he would always love Thor and Thor, him.


End file.
